1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data processing method in a computer network and, more particularly, to a technique for permitting a higher level system to control the execution of operations in a lower level system.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional network system. In the network system shown in this figure, data communication is mainly from a higher level system to a lower level system and there is virtually no data communication from the lower level system to the higher level system.
In such a network system, it is occasionally needed to halt a functional operation in order to perform a maintenance operation or the like in the lower level system. On such occasion, it is necessary to monitor, control, save and restore a job under processing by the lower level system at the point of interruption as well as a job irregularly sent from the higher level system.
It was conventionally necessary in performing such work to impose a constraint of time and function for system operator intervention and operation to assure halting of job transfer (user operation constraint) and operation of the higher level system based on a system operation plan for performing periodic maintenance in the lower level system. However, such preparatory work did not entirely eliminate a possibility of a loss of a spool job due to a human error or fault of information transmission.
It is an object of this invention to assure, in a network system in which a request to execute a process is sent from a higher level system to a lower level system, a time period of executing a predetermined action which is executed when a requested job is not executed in the lower level system while assuring an asynchronism between the both systems and a certainty of the requested job.
It is another object of this invention to provide a system which can safely perform an internal operation which accompanies a periodical maintenance operation and a halting of a function in a lower level system while assuring restoration and processing of a job in a spool pipe without stopping to receive a job in the higher level system.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a network system which is highly reliable with a low cost.
The higher level system sends a pair of preparatory signal and an execution signal to the lower level system in a predetermined time interval after holding a processing request which the higher level system sends to the lower level system. The higher level system then resumes transmission of the processing request after a predetermined length of time has elapsed. The lower level system uses these two signals to calculate an estimated time which will be needed to process the job currently requested and determines whether or not the sum of the estimated time and a time of the predetermined operation executed in a state not accepting the processing request is less than the time during which the higher level system holds the request to process. Only when the time is less than the time during which the processing request is held, the predetermined operation is executed.
This invention provides, in one aspect thereof, a method of executing a predetermine operation executed on a printer in a network system in which a plurality of print jobs are sent from a printer server to said printer side, the method comprising the steps of (a) receiving a plurality of print jobs sent from said printer server to hold them in a spool; (b) receiving a preparatory signal sent from said printer server to hold it in the spool; (c) receiving an execution signal sent from said printer sever to hold it in the spool; (d) taking out said plurality of print jobs successively from said spool for printing; (e) taking out said preparatory signal from said spool to start an internal timer; (f) taking out said execution signal from said spool to determine whether or not there is an enough time to execute a predetermined operation; and (g) executing the predetermined operation in said printer when it is determined that there is an enough time to execute the predetermined operation.
This invention provides, in another aspect thereof, a method of executing a predetermined operation executed in a lower level system in a network system in which a request to process a jobs is sent from a higher level system to said lower level system, said method comprising the steps of (a) receiving a processing request from said higher level system to hold it in a spool; (b) holding a preparatory signal and an execution signal sent from said higher level system in a predetermined interval in said spool; (c) taking out said request from said spool for processing; (d) determining whether or not there is an enough time to execute a predetermined operation based on the difference of the time to take out said preparatory signal and the time to take out said execution signal from said spool; and (e) executing the predetermined operation in said lower level system when it is determined that there is an enough time to execute the predetermined operation.
In a further aspect of this invention, said predetermined operation is one of a system reset, clearing the spool, re-booting a module in which a fault occurred, fault diagnostic and cleaning.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a method of transmitting data in a network system in which a plurality of requests to process a jobs are sent from a higher level system to a lower level system, said method comprising the steps of (a) executing a first time interruption at a first time to hold a processing request to be sent to said lower level system; (b) transmitting a preparatory signal to said lower level system; (c) executing a second timer interruption at a second time a predetermined time after said first time to transmit an execution signal to said lower level system; and (d) executing a third timer interruption at a third time a predetermined time after said second time to release the hold in said step (a) and resume the processing request.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a method of executing a predetermined operation executed in a lower level system in a network system in which a processing request is sent from a higher level system to said lower level system, said method comprising the steps of (a) transmitting a first request of processing a job from said higher level system to said lower level system; (b) receiving the first request from said higher level system to hold it in a spool of said lower level system; (c) executing a first time interruption in said higher level system at a first time to hold a second request sent from said higher level system to said lower level system; (d) transmitting a preparatory signal from said higher level system to said lower level system; (e) receiving the preparatory signal from said higher level system to hold it in the spool of said lower level system; (f) executing a second timer interruption at a second time a predetermined time after said first time to transmit an execution signal to said lower level system; (g) receiving the execution signal from said higher level system to hold it in the spool of said lower level system; (h) taking out said first request from said spool in said lower level system for processing; (i) determining whether or not there is an enough time to execute a predetermined operation based on the difference of the time to take out said preparatory signal and the time to take out said execution signal from said spool in said lower level system; (j) executing the predetermined operation in said lower level system when it is determined that there is an enough time to execute the predetermined operation; (k) executing a third timer interruption at a third time a predetermined time after said second time to release the hold in said step (c) and transmit said second request to said lower level system; (L) receiving the second request from said higher level system to hold it in the spool of said lower level system; and (m) taking out said second request from said spool for processing in said lower level system.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a printer for receiving a print job sent from a printer server for printing, said printer comprising (a) a data receiving part for receiving a print job, a preparatory signal and an execution signal sent from said printer server; (b) a spool for holding said print job, said preparatory signal and said execution signal; (c) a job spool control part for successively taking out said print job, said preparatory signal and said execution signal held in said spool; (d) an output part for printing plurality of said print jobs; (e) a time difference detecting part for analyzing the preparatory signal and the execution signal taken out from said spool; (f) an independent timer measuring mechanism for measuring the difference of the times detecting said preparatory signal and said execution signal; and (g) a predetermined functional operation determining/ controlling part for determining whether or not there is an enough time to execute the predetermined operation based on said difference of times.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a lower level system for processing a processing request sent from a higher level system, comprising (a) a spool for holding the processing request, a preparatory signal and an execution signal sent from said higher level system; (b) a processing part for taking out said request from said spool for processing; (c) a time difference detecting part for detecting said preparatory signal and said execution signal; (d) a predetermined functional operation determining/ controlling part for determining whether or not there is an enough time to execute a predetermined operation based on the difference of times to take out said preparatory signal and said execution signal from said spool; and (e) a predetermined functional operation mechanism for executing the predetermined operation in said lower level system when it is determined that there is an enough time to execute the predetermined operation.
In a further aspect of this invention, said predetermined functional operation mechanism executes either one of a system reset, clearing the spool, re-booting of a module in which a fault occurs, fault diagnostic and cleaning in said lower level system.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a higher level system for transmitting a plurality of requests to process a job, comprising (a) a time difference job signal generating part for generating a preparatory signal and an execution signal; (b) a data transmitting part for transmitting a processing request, a preparatory signal and an execution signal to said lower level system; (c) an independent timer measuring mechanism for measuring the time of executing a timer interruption; and (d) a spool holding intervention part responsive to said timer interruption to manage holding and resumption of the processing request to be sent to said lower level system.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a recording medium storing a control program for managing execution of a predetermined operation executed on a printer in a network system in which a plurality of print jobs are sent from a printer server to said printer side, said control program comprising (a) a program code to instruct said printer to receive a plurality of print jobs sent from said printer server to hold them in a spool; (b) a program code to instruct said printer to receive a preparatory signal sent from said printer server to hold it in the spool; (c) a program code to instruct said printer to receive an execution signal sent from said printer server to hold it in the spool; (d) a program code to instruct said printer to take out said plurality of print jobs successively from said spool for printing; (e) a program code to instruct said printer to take out said preparatory signal from said spool to start an internal timer; (f) a program code to instruct said printer to take out said execution signal from said spool to determine whether or not there is an enough time to execute a predetermined operation; and (g) a program code to instruct said printer to execute the predetermined operation in said printer when it is determined that there is an enough time to execute said predetermined operation.
This invention provides, in another aspect thereof, a recording medium storing a control program for managing execution of a predetermined operation executed in a lower level system in a network system in which a processing request is sent from a higher level system to said lower level system, said control program comprising (a) a program code to instruct said printer to receive a processing request from said higher level system to hold it in a spool; (b) a program code to instruct said printer to hold a preparatory signal and an execution signal sent from said higher level system in a predetermined interval in said spool; (c) a program code to instruct said printer to take out said request from said spool for processing; (d) a program code to instruct said printer to determine whether or not there is an enough time to execute a predetermined operation based on the difference of the time to take out said preparatory signal and the time to take out said execution signal from said spool; and (e) a program code to instruct said printer to execute the predetermined operation in said lower level system when it is determined that there is an enough time to execute the predetermined operation.
In a further aspect of this invention, the predetermined operation is one of a system reset, clearing the spool, re-booting a module in which a fault occurred, fault diagnostic and cleaning.
This invention provides, in a further aspect thereof, a recording medium storing a control program for controlling transmission of data in a network system in which a plurality of processing requests are sent from a higher level system to said lower level system, said control program comprising (a) a program code to instruct said printer to execute a first time interruption at a first time to hold a processing request to be sent to said lower level system; (b) a program code to instruct said printer to transmit a preparatory signal to said lower level system; (c) a program code to instruct said printer to execute a second timer interruption at a second time a predetermined time after said first time to transmit an execution signal to said lower level system; and (d) a program code to instruct said printer to execute a third timer interruption at a third time a predetermined time after said second time to release the hold in said step (a) and resume the processing request.